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In a statement given last week, Aeromexico has announced it will be suspending all flights to Canada this month.
The Mexican carrier noted that it would cease flights to Toronto as of February 8th, and those to Montreal and Vancouver as of February 10th, to provide accommodations for current travelers to have a way to return.
The news comes as Canada has recently unveiled strict regulations and restrictions for travel, including the suspension of flights to sun destinations by Canadian carriers, mandatory PCR testing upon arrival for returning passengers, and mandatory hotel quarantines.
Aeromexico has suspended services to Canada to align with the recent restrictions, with operations set to resume on April 30th, the same date as the resumption of services to sun destinations by Canadian carriers.
Canada Increasing Travel Restrictions
The suspension of Aeromexico flights to Canada comes as the Canadian Government makes a push to restrict and discourage travel for residents.
The latest data reports Canada currently has over 785 thousand cases of COVID-19, with over 20 thousand deaths.
Subsequently, Canada is resorting to tighten measures to reduce transmission of COVID-19, as well as halt the emergence of variants of the novel coronavirus.
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disclosed new travel restrictions to combat the nation’s struggle with the global pandemic.
These new restrictions include the suspension of flights to most sun destinations by WestJet, Air Canada, Air Transat, and Sunwing from now until at least April 30th.
Additionally, all international flights arriving in Canada may only land in one of four airports: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary.
Mandatory PCR testing will also be held at the aforementioned airports to all returning passengers in addition to the current test requirements travelers have of attaining a negative test result 72 hours prior to departure.
A mandatory hotel quarantine is also set to come in effect in the coming days, with returning travelers obliged with the costs of a supervised hotel stay as they await the result of their tests taken at the airports. The stay is reported to take up to three days with an estimated cost of up to $2000.
Alternatives for Canadians
While the suspension of services to Mexico and other sun destinations is suspended by Canadian carriers, some unwavering Canadians are carrying on with their travel plans by rebooking flights with U.S. airlines.
As Canadians maintain services of flights to and from the United States, travelers may simply first travel to the U.S. and then continue on to their sun destination.
Though the ability of Canadians to travel to sun destinations is not completely eliminated, travelers will still be subject to mandatory testing and quarantines upon their returns.
In addition, Canadians also have the option to travel to some sunny destinations which Canadian carriers are still operating in.
As mentioned earlier, flights to the U.S. are still in service, and this includes sunny destinations such as Hawaii, Florida, and Arizona.
The option to vacation in the U.S. also presents a loophole to bypass the coming mandatory hotel quarantine, as vacationers can book their return flight to a U.S. city close to the border, and then simply return to Canada by driving through a land border, rather than arriving by air.
Currently, those returning to Canada by land border do not need to present a negative COVID-19 test result either, however, this is expected to change in the coming weeks.
Canadian authorities have also recently been in talks with the US to tighten travel for Canadians into the U.S.
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Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictions can change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling. Travel Off Path does not endorse traveling against government advisories
Alison Dixon
Wednesday 3rd of February 2021
If I fly to a US city (Buffalo) near Canadian/US Border can I take a taxi across the border to Canada?
Stephen White
Thursday 4th of February 2021
Unlikely. The land border is still closed.
R
Tuesday 2nd of February 2021
Thank you for your great up to date site, you guys are the best... but at the same time all the bad news is so mentally exhausting to keep up with!
Kashlee Kucheran
Wednesday 3rd of February 2021
Tell me about it :( I wish I was publishing all the reopening news like we did throughout July-August.. that was much more fun! But it will happen again soon ;)